The Reluctant Fundamentalist: Peaceable Cities Evanston Book Discussion

All good things must come to an end, and so be sure to come down for the the final installment of the Speaking Up series Sunday June 10, at 4 pm, Community Meeting Room, Main Library

How does a soft spoken intellectual become a potentially violent revolutionary? A Princeton degree, a high-class job, a well-connected girlfriend: Pakistani immigrant Changez would seem to have it all, until the tumbling of the Twin Towers realigns his thinking. Mark your calendars and join us for a discussion of of Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist, and explore the connections between bigotry, xenophobia, and violence. Call 847-448-8620 to register and reserve a copy. Part of the Peaceable Cities Evanston “Speaking Up” series of community conversations.

“Sin Nombre” Peaceable Cities Evanston Film Screening

After last month’s rousing book discussion, up next in the series is the screening of Sin Nombre, Sunday May 20, 3 pm, St. Nicholas Catholic Church, 806 Ridge, Evanston.

This moving film about gang violence follows Honduran teenager Sayra as she reunites with her father, recognizing an opportunity for her to potentially realize her dream of a life in the U.S. Moving to Mexico is the first step in a fateful journey of unexpected events. (Written by IMDb Editors)

Because I Am Furniture Peaceable Cities Evanston Book Discussion

Hello again! The next event in the Speaking Up series, is a discussion of the book Because I Am Furniture, coming up on Sunday April 15, at 4 pm, Community Meeting Room, Main Library.

Anke is the oldest of three siblings, and the only one to escape abuse from her father. How she eventually summons the  strength of will to resist, and to stand up for her brother and sister is depicted in Thalia Chaltas’ powerful verse novel. Because I am Furniture is  a potent  exploration of a teen finding her voice to speak the terrifying truth. Call 847-448-8620 to register and reserve a copy.

“Two Spirits” Peacable Cities Evanston Film Screening

Mark your calendars for the next Speaking Up event: a screening of Lydia Nibley’s film Two Spirits, Sunday March 4, 4 pm, Family Focus, 2010 Dewey Avenue, Evanston.

Filmmaker Lydia Nibley explores the cultural context behind a tragic and senseless murder. Fred Martinez was a Navajo youth slain at the age of 16 by a man who bragged to his friends that he ‘bug-smashed a fag’. But Fred was part of an honored Navajo tradition – the ‘nadleeh’, or ‘two-spirit’, who possesses a balance of masculine and feminine traits. Through telling Fred’s story, Nibley reminds us of the values that America’s indigenous peoples have long embraced. (Outfest, IMDB)

Putting “Don’t Shoot” into Context

For those of you out there interested in a bit of context for our next Speaking Up book discussion, David Kennedy’s Don’t Shoot: One Man, A Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-city America, check out some of the links below.

Kennedy’s program, Operation Ceasefire, has been successful in many cities and states since its beginnings in Boston. Check out this link to read about how the United States Attorney’s Office has gotten involved.

The most current crime statistics available for Cincinnati are HERE. A more comprehensive overview of crime statistics in Cincinnati can be found HERE, with year-by-year comparisons for the city itself, and also comparisons to the United States in general. The numbers may surprise you!

And here is a neat graphic that compares Cincinnati crime rates with those of Chicago in 2006, the year that Kennedy introduced Ceasefire.

Get prepped for Don’t Shoot!

The subject of our next Speaking Up book discussion, David Kennedy’s Don’t Shoot: One Man, A Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-city America, has been generating a lot of buzz. Just in case you’re not quite finished, or you just want to get a jump on preparations for the event, check out a great synopsis in the New Yorker and a couple of excellent reviews in the Wall Street Journal and the New Republic.

Here’s the author himself discussing his work January 23 at Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, MA.

Don’t Shoot: Peaceable Cities Evanston Discussion

Sunday, February 19, 4 pm, Main Library, Community Meeting Room

Join a provocative community conversation about street violence and a proven strategy to halt it as we discuss David Kennedy’s Don’t Shoot: One Man, A Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-city America (find it at EPL here). Kennedy, who put together the law enforcement recipe which cut gang violence in half in Boston, tells the story of his long journey toward a solution which began with listening to people on the ground, and closing the trust gap between law enforcement and the community. Call 847-448-8620 to register and reserve a copy. Part of the Peaceable Cities: Evanston “Speaking Up” series of community conversations.

Speaking Up Begins!

“The Interrupters” movie can be seen FREE on Sunday, January 15 at Family Focus at 3:00….the kick off for “Speaking Out” a monthly film/book discussion series co-sponsored by PeaceAble Cities:Evanston and the Evanston Public Library. This Martin Luther King Jr. weekend screening will be followed by a community discussion of how we can all be “interrupters” of the behaviors that keep Evanston from becoming a Peaceable City!